John Oliver Talked About The Death Penalty For 12 Minutes On 'Last Week Tonight' & You Need To Watch All Of It

"I know what you're thinking. 'You're not gonna really do a comic take on the death penalty, right? It's your second episode. I haven't even decided if I like this show yet.'"

Oh, but he did. However, to make the subject matter go down easier, John Oliver promised viewers that if they made it to the end of such a grim "Last Week Tonight" segment, they would all watch Tiny Hamsters Eating Tiny Burritos together. And he made good on that vow.

More importantly, Oliver took a giant step in showing how his HBO program will differ from his predecessors. In this 12-minute segment (that is worth every second) the host digs into the unsettling questions raised by the recent botched execution of Clayton Lockett. And, somehow, he makes it both funny and poignant.

Watch the piece above and let us know your thoughts in our poll and the comments below.

Quick Poll

John Oliver poses this question: "If someone is guilty of committing a horrible crime and the family of the victim want the perpetrator executed, do we want to live in the kind of country that gives that to them?' What do you think?